sweating kobe in 10 rebuy

hi phil

Atlantic City

I'm currently in AC for the Borgata Poker Open. My last trip to Turning Stone wasn't very successful so I'm trying really hard this time to show a decent profit. I've played 3 tournaments so far, a 500, an 800, and a 1600.

In the 500 I didnt make it out of the first level, as some old guy felt like toruring my soul. In 2 hands we both flopped top pair and by the end he had paired his kicker both time. The last hand I limped UTG for 50 with KQ off, it folded to him on the button and he made it 100, the blinds folded and I called. It came down Q96 with 2 hearts. I bet 150, he made it 350, and I popped it back to 1100. The turn came on offsuit 8 and I shoved in for 1400ish. He called with Q8 and that was that.

In the 800, I played decently, staying really patient and doubling up with KK vs TT all in pre in the 3rd or 4th level. One big hand took place with the blinds at 400/800. I raised to 2500 UTG with Ad Qd the button called and the blinds folded. The flop came down 9d 3d 2c. I bet 3500, he gave me the " I don't think you have anything" speech and shoved his stack in for about 10k more. I sat there for a minute or so wondering if I wasnt trying to draw against a set but eventually I called and he showed me Ac Qs??? A complete freeroll which hit with the Kd on the river.

After we got into the money and condensed into 4 tables, I had a decent stack after shoving in from the small blinds with AA after 4 limpers and getting the UTG limper to call his stack off with AJ. They moved a big stack to my direct right who I obviously had no reads on. With the blinds at 1500/3000, he limped UTG. I look down at AQ and cant decide whether to raise, call, or fold. I dont want to raise because I only have about 70k in my stack and if he reraises I have to fold. I don't want to fold because AQ is still a strong starting hand. I thought about folding but decided to call. It folds to the BB who checks. The flop comes QJ6 rainbow. The BB shoves in for 16k and UTG smooth calls. It took me like 3 minutes at least. Does he have AA, QJ, 66? Why is he just calling? KQ, KT, QT is pretty much all I can beat. My hands marginal at best so I don't want to risk my stack with it. I figure if hes on a draw he'll check the turn and if he has a set or AA hes gonna have to protect it if I just flat call figuring me for a draw, so I called. The turn pairs the Q, I scream yahztee in my head, now hoping he has AA. He checks and I push hoping to get KT out and to charge KQ the max. He folds and the BB is drawing dead with J3.

With 2 tables left I am card dead and am forced to muck AK preflop to an UTG raise and a big stack re-raise for about 2/3 my stack. 12 people left, I go after the blinds with the 34h making it 24000, the cutoff calls, button calls and blinds fold. The flop comes Kh 4s 8h and with the pot at 100k, I shove for 115ish getting called by AA in the cutoff. The board bricks out and I'm left on the FT bubble.

I just busted out of the 1600 having to lay down AA on a Q75K board, he showed a set of 7s. Early on I was trying to play tight but lost with 44 on a Q54 flop to 55. I finally got my stack back up getting it in preflop with AA vs QQ but was chipped away at missing flops. My last hand I called a smallish raise in the BB with K8c, the flop was 567 and I pushed into 2 people. The raiser had 65s and it bricked out on me.

The next 2 days I just plan on grinding out the 40/80 game down stairs which I've already smashed for 4900 in 2 sessions.

I'm never complaining about beats ever again

I've never run so hot in my life. I'm playing my absolute best but variance is definately on my side right now. Every play is working, every card is hitting, and every read is spot on. I've had a sick amount of cashes since getting back home.

Last Thursday I took 2nd in the Party Super for about 19k+. I had him in with 99 vs 22 but he flopped a 2. Later on I got it all in preflop with AK and he had KK. I'm still happy about the way I played the whole tournament.

I made a FT in a 50 MTT on Party but finished like 8th or something.

On Sunday I played in all the big tournaments and went deep in Stars and UB. In UB i got to like 17 people left and shoved in with A7 with about 13 BBs. I really shouldnt have and think I could have made the FT and cashed big if I had let it go. I was called by TT and the board bricked out. In Stars I played my absolute A game and went out about 16th of like 5500 people which is a good finish but I wanted to final table it so bad. I was in a race with AK vs TT at the end and winning in would have tied me with the chip leader but I wasnt lucky enough in that hand. With 165k for first place, 5k doesnt really seem like a win to me.

Today, I played in a few multis and took down a $22 speed MTT on party for about 2k. I went out 5th in UB's 20k guaranteed for about 1500 and I pretty much bubbled the money in the Party Super. Like 175th with 150 getting paid. Those fields are always huge so its hard to do consistently well in them.

I went semi far in the Stars $150 but went out on a marginal hand. We started with about 620 people and with about 130 left, it folded to the button. Blinds at 150/300 he raised to 900 and I moved in from the SB with AJ for about 4-5k. He had AQ and it held up.

I plan on taking a break in the next few days to get away from the game for a bit. I'm going to Turning Stone next week for their tournaments and I wanna be kinda fresh when I start on Monday.

Taking a break

I busted out of the 2000 PL event before the first level even ended haha. I had worked my stack up to 2150 when I limped in UTG with AhTh. I didnt want to raise it and give someone a chance to have a bigger pot size bet available so I played it safe. An older man made it 125 from MP which he had done about 4 or 5 times so far with hands like K9 suited and A7 suited. A player called on the button, the blinds folded, and I called. The flop came down As 8h 5h. I thought about betting out but he was pretty good about a continuation bet on the flop and I thought a pot sized c/r could get him off a hand like AJ. I checked, he bet 150ish, the button folded, and I put a pot sized raise in. He thought for a few seconds and went all in for like 200 more. He had A5d, which was actually great to see. I had 3 8s, 3 Ts, and 9 hearts to scoop it but the board bricked out.

I'm done playing until the 1500 NL event on Tuesday. I wanted to play the 2000 NL on Friday but I've got other plans until then.

Tired

I didnt get much sleep at all during the 2500 NL event but even still I got up to play in the 1000 NL today. Me and JC got in as alternates with about 5 minutes left to go in the 2nd level, roughly 2 hours late. With only 1500 starting chips and blinds at 50/100 I wanted to double up or get the hell out of there. I got my stack up to 2200 at one point.

One hand Jim Meehan raised in the hijack to 275, a tightish lady calls, and I'm in the SB. I figure theres a decent chance I can squeeze it since I had seen Jim raised 82 on the button 2 hands ago. I shoved in without looking. Meehan folded and she called with AA. Nice read. I had 36 off and caught a chance on a Q52 flop but the board bricked out and I was crippled. I worked my stack back up to 1000 from 550 and moved in UTG with A6d, not wanting to get short. I get called by AK and don't get the suckout.

I'm registered for the 2500 pot limit tournament tomorrow and am going to try to be on my A game. I know my chances for doing well in the WSOP POTY race are slim but seeing my name in the top 10 gives me some motivation to try.

Wow

I can't really describe how it feels to win such a massive amount of money. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it right now but I don't want to worry about right now.

I played as well as I possibly could for 3 days which was very hard for me. I took down alot of pots preflop by stealing and restealing late in the tournament. I can only remember 2 times which I got lucky. After losing a 25,000 chip race in day 1 I tried to increase my stack a little bit by coming over the top of a cutoff steal with the 69c. Mark Wilds was in the big blind and woke up with 2 queens, but the board came K629T and I doubled through.

One hand I was in the small blind and the big blind tried raising it not knowing that he was the big blind. It folded to the button who went for the button steal??
He raised it to 5500 with the blinds at 400/800. I look down at two black kings and am pretty sure that the big blind is going raise, most likely his stack. I smooth called and the big blind insta shoved for about his whole stack, roughly 120k. The button took a while and finally folded. I called and I held up against his QQ.

Later on in the next level, I raised out of the hijack to 5700 with KQ, and it folded to Scott Fischman in the big blind. He stacked out his amount to call and just before he stacked his call into the pot, he said all in, making me think he was just restealing and trying to let me know that his blinds arent for sale. He had roughly 50k total which was a massive amount to call but I really didnt think he was that strong. I think he reraises with AA-QQ or AK/AQ more assuredely and maybe not even all in. I figured it was a smaller pair like 44 or maybe even something like JT suited. I figured taking him out was worth the call since he was obviously the toughest opponent at the table and called. He had A9 which wasnt horrible to see, I flopped top pair and the board bricked out.

With about 3 or 4 tables left I raised the cutoff with 77 and the small blind re raised my 6400 chip bet and make it 32000 more. I cant put her on anything big, the raise is so big its telling me she has AK or AQ and just wants to take it there. AA - JJ raises it less and her mannerisms led me to believe it wasnt 88-TT. I had laid down a mid pair a few times when I thought I was racing but I was pretty confident I had the best side of a race and shoved her in for her last 40k. She had AK and the board bricked out.

I hadnt flopped any monsters all tournament until I was on the final table. After winning a decent pot I was well above average and had some chips to try to spike a flop. Matusow raised UTG to 33000 with the blinds at 6000/12000. He had been moved off his hand a few times since the table started and I think he was trying to regain control. It folded to me in the small blind and I called with the Th9h trying to nail the flop hard. The BB folded and the flop came down T97. Since Mike had sat down at my table, I had told Tom, JC, and Johnny that I was going to lead right into him with a monster. A) He's going to hate being led into. B) He's probably going to read it as weakness and come over the top no matter how strong his hand is. I led for 32000 and Mike shoved in. I called instantly and he was unfortunate enough to have JT.

I lost a 2 million chip pot with with KJ on a 34KK6 board. He had KQ, with only 3.2 million in play I would have had 3/4 on the chips in play 3 handed if he had something like KT or K9. I finally busted after getting it all in preflop against Max Pescatori with 66. He had 88. I raised preflop and knew that I needed to win my first pot off of Max or else I was probably going to bust out 3rd. With a 150k jump in 3rd and 2nd I thought there was a good chance we were raising and I was too short to fold. The door card was the 6c but the flop also had an 8 in it. I didnt get the case 6 and was out in 3rd for $207,000 which I can't really complain about.

I'm going to try to get some sleep and play in the $1000 NL tomorrow. This cash has sparked me to try to play as many events as I can because not only can I afford it but I have alot of confidence that I can go deep in a few more events.